West Wales protesters join Extinction Rebellion

MANY people from west Wales made the journey to London over the past week to take part in the Extinction Rebellion climate change protests.

Some had set off weeks earlier to walk their way to London, distributing leaflets as they went. A woman from Narberth was the last to be arrested at Oxford Circus, while another protester from Eglwyswrw was among those held the longest in custody. She had locked herself onto the pink boat that had become a symbol of the protests, and an angle grinder had to be used to remove her.

A woman who walked 140 miles from Ceredigion said: “We met so much warmth and support, I wondered, where were the opponents? Everyone seems to get it, it was like I was doing it for them.”

The Extinction Rebellion movement is demanding the UK Government acknowledge the planet’s ecological emergency, have 0% net CO2 emissions by 2025, reverse policies inconsistent with addressing climate change and create a Citizens’ Assembly to oversee the changes required. The group started its protest on April 15, stopping traffic at Oxford Circus, Marble Arch, Waterloo Bridge and the area around Parliament Square.

The Metropolitan Police said that as of Monday (Apr 22), 1,065 arrests had been made and 53 people charged in relation to the protests. Organisers have described the protests as the biggest civil disobedience event in recent British history.

Late on Sunday, police had moved the last of the protesters from Waterloo Bridge after activists at Parliament Square and Oxford Street had been moved on earlier in the day. Another protest was held at the Natural History Museum, as activists lay down underneath the blue whale skeleton to raise awareness of the mass extinction of species.

Extinction Rebellion is holding a public meeting to decide its next course of action.

New Quay RNLI lifeboat crew trains with lifeguards

NEW QUAY lifeboat station hosted a special training evening with the lifeboat crew and Ceredigion’s RNLI lifeguards last week.

Pete Yates, one of New Quay RNLI’s inshore lifeboat helms, worked closely with Ceredigion lifeguard supervisor, Tirion Dowsett, to plan scenarios for the teams to practice working together in casualty care situations.

A large scale scenario included four casualties to be dealt with by the inshore lifeboat crew and two lifeguard teams on a nearby beach, whilst a third lifeguard team and lifeboat crew members dealt with a separate scenario at the lifeboat station.

Pete said: “It was a great evening of training. We had 9 lifeguards and 13 lifeboat crew in attendance.

“The main scenario included casualties suffering from hypothermia and propeller injuries. A second scenario involved a mechanic suffering head injuries in the forepeak of the all-weather lifeboat and requiring extraction on a stretcher.

“On completion of these scenarios we all gathered back at the station where one of our senior crew members sprung a great act at being a diabetic having a hypo, and being suitably angry and aggressive.”

Roger Couch, New Quay RNLI’s Lifeboat Operations Manager, added: “It was great for our lifeboat crew members to work with the lifeguards as it builds a deeper understanding of each other’s roles and encourages teamwork between us. This is of great benefit when dealing with real life casualty care situations.”

Coastguard rescues dog stuck on cliffs

LAST TUESDAY (Aug 27), New Quay RNLI’s inshore D-class lifeboat, Audrey LJ, was tasked by Milford Haven Coastguard to assist the Coastguard with a dog stuck on the cliffs near New Quay.

The volunteer crew launched the inshore lifeboat at 1.50pm with four crew members on board and made their way south down the coast.

Brett Stones, New Quay RNLI’s helm said: “We located the dog on the cliffs by Castell Bach, near Cwmtydu. We stood by while the Coastguard team caught the animal. The dog was unharmed and safe with the Coastguard so we were stood down.

“However, while returning to station we were then tasked to a small vessel with engine failure. We towed the stricken boat with three people on board back to New Quay. We rehoused the inshore lifeboat and it was ready for service by 2.40pm.”

New maintenance Lorries cut carbon emissions

The Ground Maintenance Team has purchased three new lorries to support ground maintenance services in Ceredigion.

The new lorries will move Ceredigion County Council’s Ground Maintenance Service’s equipment to and from the grounds that they look after. The lorries will also take cut grass away for composting. This provides the most efficient way of maintaining the areas that the team is responsible for.

Councillor Dafydd Edwards is the Cabinet member responsible for Highways and Environmental Services together with Housing. He said: “The new vehicles replace ones which had provided excellent service for almost 20 years. They are fitted with Euro 6 engines which are considerably more efficient and better for the environment.”

The Grounds Maintenance Team is also incrementally introducing electric-powered mowers, blowers, hedge cutters and strimmers into its fleet. This equipment is better for the environment, is easier to use and causes less noise and vibration.

The new lorries support Ceredigion County Council’s commitment to be a net-zero carbon council by 2030.